A Post-Structuralist Semiotic Interpretation of Flower Windows in Rural Homestay Design in Yangshuo

Abstract

In contemporary rural homestay design, the flower window, a traditional Chinese architectural decorative symbol, is extensively employed. The significance of it as a cultural symbol has undergone profound alterations in the development of contemporary society. This paper takes the application of flower windows in contemporary rural homestay design in Yangshuo and the customer experiences as the research object. Through on-site case studies and investigations of customer emotional experiences, by applying Roland Barthes’ structuralism and post-structuralist semiotics theory, it attempts to interpret the changes in form and content of the flower window as a traditional cultural symbol in homestay design and further analyze its implicit connotative function for the experiencers. It is expected to offer references for the cultural inheritance in homestay design.